Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena christens his company’s new locomotive, No. 4547, at a ceremony at Northrop Grumman’s facility near Corinne in Box Elder County. The train engine would leave soon after the event to haul rocket motor segments to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Courtesy Northrop Grumman)
Sometime late next year, they’ll head into space, but that journey started on a Utah railroad earlier this month.
Manufactured by Northrop Grumman at its plant near Corinne, they are the final eight twin solid rocket booster motor segments required for NASA’s upcoming Artemis III spaceflight mission.
Following a ceremony at a Northrop Grumman loading facility near Corinne during which Union Pacific Railroad unveiled its newest commemorative locomotive, the rocket motor parts began their journey to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where assembly is scheduled to begin this summer.
Powering the dozen-unit train and making its first working run was No. 4547, a locomotive that honors President Donald Trump and commemorates America’s 250th anniversary. Built by Pittsburgh-based Wabtec, the mostly white engine is decorated with a patriotic American flag theme. The 4547 designation alludes to Trump serving as both the 45th and 47th president of the U.S.
No. 4547 was joined at the head of the train by No. 1616, another special commemorative locomotive that honors President Abraham Lincoln and Union Pacific’s history. Lincoln founded Union Pacific in 1862 when he signed the Pacific Railway Act, approving construction of the transcontinental railroad. No. 1616 was christened in 2025. Its red-and-black color scheme is a direct nod to the historic locomotives of the Lincoln era.
A third locomotive in the presidential series, No. 4141, recognizes President George H.W. Bush, a noted rail enthusiast.
Upon completion of its inaugural freight mission from Utah to Florida, No. 4547 will join Union Pacific’s standard freight network.
When they arrive in Florida, the eight Utah-made motor segments will join previous hardware delivered back in April. Together, they will begin to form the massive launch vehicle as “stacking” assembly begins on the mobile launch platform.
“We are proud to honor President Donald J. Trump with this commemorative engine while helping advance the Artemis III mission,” Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said at the ceremony. “As No. 4547 carries these rocket components, it represents the strength of our nation’s supply chain and our role in connecting the country — linking industries, communities and opportunity from our rail network to the surface of the moon.”
“From Northern Utah’s role in building the transcontinental railroad to powering exploration with our Space Launch System boosters, this partnership shows how American industries and innovation are building the future,” said Wendy Williams, vice president and general manager of launch and exploration at Northrop Grumman.
Artemis III will launch four astronauts from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft, rocketed into space on the Space Launch System. The Northrop Grumman boosters help the craft break Earth’s initial gravitational pull. The mission will test critical rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial human landing systems from SpaceX and Blue Origin needed to deliver astronauts to the lunar surface.
